Regional Elijah Challenge Affiliates
Chris Villasana is a young Texan who attended The Elijah Challenge Seminar at Braeswood Assembly of God in Houston in April 2007. In July 2007 he went to India on a mission trip. Below is Chris' report.I just got back from India, it was so amazing, like the book of Acts. I was able to teach people about the power we have in the name of Jesus, just like you guys pointed out to me. In Nellore, and the village areas of Andra Pradesh my group of missionaries saw so many healings. We were able to tell the village people about the one true God; they had hardly even heard about Jesus! Then we asked if they wanted prayer for healing, and many came up!
People were healed who had leprosy, back and knee problems, blindness, paralysis, ringing in the ears, arthritis, sharp chest pains. They were all healed and believed on Jesus! And it happened like that every night we were in the villages!
I just thought I would write and tell you those things so you would all be encouraged. So many new believers are now taking authority and encouraged, full of faith and love. It's awesome what is happening. So many villagers gave their lives to Jesus!
Chris' detailed report on the healings in Nellore, Andra Pradesh
Every night for a week our missionary group went to different villages in the Nellore block to give supplies and preform dramas for the villagers. On the second night God let us know that we wer to do something out of our routine, and so we told our leadership "after you get done explaining the drama, give a call for prayer for healing." The leadership agreed.The event we were doing at in the village was supposed to be a church event from one of the local churches we were working with, and every one in the crowd of 50-75 people were supposed to be Christians. So we gave the call for healing and many people come up. The first lady I and my small group encountered was a lady who was completely blind. through the translators she explained these things to us. So I told everyone, "Tell the blindness what to do, because we have authority over it." So two of us put our hands on her eyes and everyone else stretched out their hands, and we started telling the blindness to come our of her eyes, and that it couldn't stay in her anymore. Then I asked her if it was better, and she said that she could see much better! But not all the way, so we laid hands on her again and told it to get out all the way. When we finished she said that she could see completely better! Two of our ladies had a woman whose arthritis was so bad that her hands were all twisted up and her arms could hardly move. They started telling it to leave her body, and the woman began to dance around and tell everyone what Jesus had done! Then my group moved over to a woman who said that she had ringing in her ears. Two of our girls put their fingers in her ears and told the ringing to leave, and it left completely!
We were able to tell everyone that this happened because our God was the only true God, and He was more powerful than any others, and that Jesus was His Son. We told them that God has given us salvation and power in His name! After that we had to leave the village and go back to our base. Later that night we received information from the church that only four people in the crowd had been believers and all of the rest were Hindus.
The next night after we had performed the drama, they again gave a call for healing. A man with leprosy in his leg came to me and my friend, saying that his leg had pain in it for three years because of the leporsy and that no medicine had been able to help. So my friend and I grabbed his leg and told the leprosy in his leg to get out and stop causing the pain. We felt his leg begin to tremble and the muscles in his leg begin to gain strength and grow. Then we asked him how it felt, and he said that his leg was completly better. After that we laid hands on a man with paralysis in his left arm and he recovered much of his movement.
Many things like that happened every night that we were in the villages of the Nellore block. Many blind and lame people or with bad backs, knees and elbows, deep pains and other problems all were healed, just like it says in the Bible!
Chris' ministry with "Take it to the Streets" in his South Texas home town in September 2007:"The apartment complexes have actually turned into a 'live rounds' training ground. We have been taking people out there to lay hands on the infirm and show them how to lead people to the Lord. So many people from the Apartments have been getting to know us---more specificaly the kids, who have passed out more tracts then we could dream of doing on our own. And they asked us for more to pass out at their schools and classes. It is very neat, almost hippy; we are teaching the kids scripture songs, sitting in grassy knolls witnessing and healing people, and leading them in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And everyone else is watching and coming down to see what's happening. So everyone is hearing about, or seeing the things that are happening, and everyone is getting to know us. So your training is being put to good use, very good use, and we are taking the people from the church out so that they can keep in practice and keep up their faith."
Received from Chris on September 20:
We went witnessing at this park by some apartment complexes and a bunch of kids came and we began to minister to them, singing and praying, and about 24 kids and adults were present. This little girl---she was about about 8 years old---stood up and testified that last week at the apartment complexes how we had come over and laid hands on her mom. Her mom's leg had been hurting and would swell with fluid, but ever since then it was healed. She also testified that when we laid hands on her friend who couldn't speak because of a throat virus, the friend was able to talk immediately afterwards. Everyone who was there was in awe. and eighteen people gave their lives to Jesus. One little four-year-old boy was demonically possessed, threatening us saying that he hated us, he hated God and Jesus, and that he was the devil, and the devil wasn't going to come out of him. So we just used the same authority, and cast it out in Jesus' name. The boy was totally changed afterwards, even in his countenance, and was telling us he loved us, and He loved Jesus. He was completely happy!
Received from Chris on September 23
"I have yet another testimony! While we were out, that same young 8 year old girl whose mother was healed told us that she and her friend were pretending to be us while they were playing in their room. The "church people" and her younger brother came in who actually had a large red bruise on his chest that hurt him, and so she and her friend put their hands on his chest and started imitating us, and said "In the name of Jesus, you can't stay bruise, you have to go now in the name of Jesus!" and the little boy's bruise went away, and it was healed. Oh wow! Can you believe it? These kids are seeing the things that we are doing and doing the same things! Many things have been happening, but that was only yesterday! Praise God!"
Received October 13
"A homeless man who was in a wheelchair because he was missing a leg rolled in front of our house. So we came out and started talking to him. He had just gotten out of prison, and had been homeless for 15 days. We brought him in and fed him, let him take a bath, and ministered to him. He told us how he had electricity-like pain in the nub of his leg that was very intense and he had to get used to it now that he was homeless. The bone was also crooked so he couldn't wear a prosthetic leg. We laid hands on the nub in Jesus' name, and all of the pain left,. His bone also straightened out. He cried. Then in the same way we took authority over the spirits that were oppressing him, like the one that caused him to feel worthless; and he was delivered. At the end he was no longer hungry, but clean shaven, free from pain, and spiritually healed. Now he can wear a prosthetic! How awesome is the Creator of the universe; He loves us so! I was able to show the homeless man how much God loved him because he had been healed. He really understood how much of a plan the Lord has for him, and that he is always on the Lord's mind. He really got it---it was no longer a cliché for him. Because God demonstrated His love."
Luke 10:9 "Heal the sick who are there and tell them,
'The kingdom of God is near you.’"
